Police in Albania and Kosovo arrested three suspected members of a drug ring, Albanian authorities said on Thursday (May 27th). One was arrested in Tirana; the other two were stopped by authorities in Prizren, southern Kosovo. Police suspect that the ring smuggled drugs from Albania to Kosovo, and owned a stash of 110 kilos of marijuana that abandoned in November not far from the capital. Kosovo authorities confirmed the arrests and the suspects' apparent connection to an international drug trafficking network. EULEX says the drugs were destined for Western Europe.

Albania: Positive twist of faith in the sectors of industry and construction

Albania’sEconomic Sentiment Indicator rose by 3.6 points in the first quarter 2010 to 89points, up 5.7% compared to the previous quarter.

This level stands 11 points below the long-term average, preserving its trendsof the last six quarters, the central bank said in a statement.

The indicator was influenced mainlyby a positive twist of faith in the sectors of industry and construction, compared with their very low levels during the last fourquarters. Business confidence in the services sector remains almost at the samelevel with previous quarters, being very close, but below its long-termaverage. On the other hand, the decline ofconsumer confidence index contributed negatively to the general confidenceindicator.

Investmentsin building and rehabilitation of hydropowers to reach 1.8 billion euros inAlbania, the Deputy-Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy Leonard Beqiri saidduring a press conference. “264hydropower plants will be constructed under 98 concession agreements,” thedeputy-minister said.

“Morethan a third of these facilities is in final construction phase and will soonlaunch operations. We note that some of the most important projects, which willbe implemented by strategic foreign investors, include the construction ofpower plants on the Devoll and Drin rivers, which are the country's keyhydropower resources,” he added.

Albaniaheavily relies on water resources to generate energy with some 98% of totalelectricity production coming from local hydropower plants.

Soon, Albanian citizens will need only an electronic ID card to travel to neighbouring Kosovo, according to an agreement effective on Tuesday (June 1st), for the tourist season and possibly beyond. A reciprocal summer agreement for Kosovo citizens has been in effect in Albania for years.

In other news, the European Commission's (EC) recommendation to proceed with the process of visa liberalisation for Albania has prompted a wave of applications for biometric passports. The interior ministry said on Sunday that authorities received an unusually high number of applications late last week. The EC had just decided to recommend lifting visas requirements for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina if three conditions are met.